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EARLY HISTORY AND WJ^R RECORD 



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CHARLES B TAYLOR, 



TUACHKK 



»♦««» « ♦« 



CINCINNATI: 

Elm Strgkt Printing Company, 176 and 178 Elm St.r«©t. 

1874. 






To my wife, the daughter and granddaughter o 
Wilkesville pioneers, whose cheerful, patient, self-sacrl 
flcing love has heen my stay through years of darkness 
and discouragement, this little work is affectionately dedi- 
cated. 







INTRODUCTION 



Wilkesvillb Township is in the southeastern part 
of Vinton County, Ohio. It originally belonged to Gallia 
County. Lying directly in the great mineral belt of South- 
ern Ohio, its hills are rich in coal and iron. 

Owing to the lack of facilities for transportation, the 
mineral resources are, to a great degree, undeveloped. 

Some fine crops of corn and wheat are raised along the 
valley of the Raccoon, which runs through the Township 
from north to south, but the greater part of the surface is 
hilly and better adapted for grazing. 

The village of Wilkesville is in the eastern part, half a 
mile from the Meigs County line. 

It is twenty-one miles west of Pomeroy, twenty-one miles 
northwest of Gallipolis, eighteen miles east of Jackson, and 
eighteen miles southeast of McArthur. 



(3) 



WILKESVILLE. 



CHAPTER I 



EARLY HISTORY. 

The early settlers of Wilkesville have al- 
most all passed away, and the writer has been 
admonished that the facts of its early history 
must now be gathered up and recorded, be- 
fore they are lost forever. The task has been 
a labor of love, which we trust will be appre- 
ciated by our fellow-citizens. 

The land on which the village now stands, 
and a large portion of the surrounding coun- 
try, was purchased by an eastern gentleman 
named Wilkes, about 1807. 

At that time Southern Ohio was almost an 
unbroken wilderness. There was a settle- 

(6) 



tnent at Jackson, then called ''Jackson Salt 
Works," a village at Gallipolis, and another 
at Athens. 

The Strong family and the Parkers had al- 
ready settled in Salem, but not a stick of tim- 
ber had been cut on the ground where Wilkes- 
ville now stands, except where Orasha Strong 
and his sons had cut a road to haul their 
goods from Jackson. 

The Indians were no longer hostile, but 
were still to be found occasionally; while 
deer, turkey and other wild game were abun- 
dant. 

For many years wolves were so thick that 
a sheep out of sight of the house was past 
insurance, and even as late as 1823 a bear and 
two cubs were killed about where J. J. Cline's 
house now stands. 

Wilkesville and Salem were originally one 
township, bearing the name of the latter, but 
for convenience I shall keep their accounts 
separate, and this department will refer to 



the settlers on the Wilkesville side of the line 
only. 

In the year 1810, Henry Due, the agent of 
Mr. Wilkes, came on to the ground, and on 
the tenth day of June laid out the town, nam- 
ing it Wilkesville, in honor of the owner. 

During this year five families settled in the 
township. The first was that of Isaac Hawk. 

Isaac Hawk moved from Greenbrier County, 
Virginia, in 1807, to the lower part of Gallia 
County, Ohio. 

In January, 1810, he came to Wilkesville, 
where he remained until his death, in 1862. 

The first sermon ever preached in Wilkes- 
ville was preached at his house by Rev. Mr. 
Dixon, a Methodist minister. Mr. Hawk was 
a soldier of the war of 1812. His venerable 
widow, Margaret Hawk, now in her eighty- 
seventh year, is the " oldest inhabitant of 
Wilkesville." 

Benjamin Hawk, Henry Hawk, Michael 
Hawk, and Jonah Hawk, all honored citizens 



& 



of the township to-day, are the sons of these 
worthy pioneers. 

Mr. Due boarded with them at the time 
when he laid out the town. 

The second family was that of William 
Humphreys, and the third that of Henry 
Jones. 

In the fall of 1810 Rufus Wells and his 
family came and settled just below the vil- 
lage, on the land still owned by their descend- 
ants. Mr. Terry came about the same time. 

The first child born in Wilkesville was 
Clara Jones ; the second was Henry Hawk, 
Justice of the Peace for the past sixteen 
years. 

Mr. Due had offered a land warrant to the 
first child that should be born in Wilkesville. 

Competition was probably lively, but the 
Jones family won the race. It is understood 
that this is the only contest in which "Esquire 
Henry" was ever defeated during a long and 
useful life. 



Mr. Due brought his family from Middle- 
town, Connecticut, in the spring of 1812. 

About this time Mr. Ohitwood, another 
eastern man, moved on to the farm about a 
mile north of the village, now owned by 
Agrippa Wells, tie was the first man that 
ever kept goods to sell in Wilkesville Town- 
ship. His store was in the same building 
where he and his family lived. 

war of 1812. 

Five soldiers from Wilkesville served in the 
war of 1812: Isaac Hawk.William Humphreys, 
Abraham Lots, Thomas Jones and Zimri Wells. 

A number of their comrades in arms moved 
into the township within a few years after 
the close of the war: Jonathan Vowell, John 
N. Sprouse, Ziba Thompson, George Bertholf, 
etc. 

OTUER SETTLERS. 

After the war settlers began to come in 
rapidly. In 1815 Abraham Hawk (still liv- 



io 



ing) moved on the hill, near the place where 
Jacob N. Hawk now lives, and Jonathan 
Vowell came from Gallipolis and settled just 
below the village where Hiram Vowell lives. 
Not long after this Job Phetteplace came, and 
Luther Cotton, who had come from Middle- 
town, Connecticut, into Salem, about 1811, 
moved into the village. 

The Carrs, who came in 1826, were also 
from Middletown. 

In 1817 Matthias Croy, with the assistance 
of Mr. Gear, built Croy's Mill on Raccoon 
Creek, where Barnes Mill now stands. 

In the earlier days the people went to 
Athens to mill, or pounded their corn in the 
tops of stumps hollowed out for the purpose. 

James Gray came to Wilkesville about 1816. 

In 1818 John Davis came from New York 
and settled two miles from the village, on the 
Gallipolis Road, on the place where George 
Williams lives. 

Here he resided until his death in 1874. He 



11 



was the father of Erastus R. and Quincy 
Adams Davis. Davis' Mill, on Strong's Run, 
was built in 1826. 

The Blakelys and Alfred Strong came from 
New York with Mr. Davis. Dyer and William 
Davis followed a year or two later, and in 
1822 David Booth came from Massachusetts. 

All these settled on the Gallipolis Road, 
which took the very appropriate name of 
Yankee Street. 

There were three of the Blakely brothers — 
Abraham, James and Zerah. Only one is 
now living, the venerable James Blakely, for 
many years an elder in the Presbyterian 
Church and colporteur of the American Tract 
Society. 

MERCHANTS. 

The first store in the village was kept by a 
man named Richmond. In 1828 James Ed- 
miston and Willard Stowell were competitors 
for the trade. They were followed by Harvey 



12 

Brown and Hiram G. Daniel. Hon. H. S. 
Bundy began business life as a clerk in the 
store of Harvey Brown. 

THE OLDEST HOUSE IN WILKESVILLE. 

The brick house on High Street, now occu- 
pied by James Lyons, was built by Henry 
Due, about the year 1816. It is the oldest 
house in Wilkesville. 

Mr. Due lived there until his death, in 1827- 

He was a man of more than ordinary talent 
and information. The writer has heard Mrs. 
Ellen Strong speak of the curiosity with 
which, when a child, she viewed his library, 
composed almost entirely of French works, 
and of the desire which she had for the lin- 
guistic key to unlock this treasury of knowl- 
edge. 

Mr. Due was buried in the old graveyard 
on the hill, and the epitaph on his tombstone 
is an epitome of his life : 



13 

To the Memory of 
ZE3I IE3 IDT lEfc IT 3DTJO, 
Who departed this life June 27, 
1827, aged 64 years. 
He was born in France, came to 
America an officer in the French 
fleet, was the founder of this town, 
and endeared to all his acquaintances. 
He is now "where the wicked cease from 
troubling, and the weary are at rest." 



CHAPTER II. 



WILKESVILLE IN 1828. 

Wilkesville was now beginning to have 
some importance, and put on village airs. 

The Phetteplaces, Sto wells, Purintons, Carrs, 
Crookers, Edmistons and Derrys were all 
here by 1828. Job Phetteplace was the first 
Justice of the Peace in Wilkesville Township. 

Four of the houses still standing in Wilkes- 
ville were built before 1828. The brick house 
before mentioned was occupied by Henry 
Due, Jr.; the present residence of Charles B. 
Taylor was the home of Willard Stowell ; the 
present residence of George Curry was built 
by Gilliam Bertholf, and afterward occupied 
by Mr. Cotton: and Esquire Job Phetteplace 

(14) 



15 



lived in the old Crowell house, now the resi- 
dence of Jonathan Cable. 

The ladies of the vicinity were noted for 
their intelligence and courtly bearing. Most 
of them were from New England, and they 
believed in uniting work with sociability. As 
a natural consequence a quilting was the 
highest style of visiting. 

At these gatherings might have been seen 
Mrs. Due, the personification of stately polite- 
ness; Mrs. Purinton, in the neatest of double 
ruffles; Mrs. Phetteplace, timid and reserved; 
Mrs. Davis, kind and motherly; Mrs. Cotton 
and Mrs. Edmiston, now Mrs. Deny, the only 
one of the group whose kind face still remains 
among us. 

There, too, was old Mrs. Stowell, prim and 
puritanical, her handkerchief precisely folded, 
quiet and dignified, except when her sensibil- 
ities were shocked by the rattling, order-defy- 
ing remarks or manners of her merry daugh- 
ter-in-law. 



16 

An anecdote of Mrs. Cotton is worth relating 
here: 

A gentleman from Gallipolis was driving 
through this region. The "French City" was 
then the metropolis of Southeastern Ohio, and 
the gentleman saw fit to put on city airs by 
speaking contemptuously of such places as 
Wilkesville. 

Halting near the corner now occupied by 
Capt. Gillilan's store, he called out to Mrs. 
Cotton, "Where's Wilkesville?" 

"You are in it now, sir," was the reply. 

"In it? Well, I don't see it." 

The pioneer matron drew herself up to her 
full height and crushingly replied : 

"Puppies never see till they are nine days 
old, sir." 

The city gent wilted and drove on. 

ANECDOTE NO. 2. 

When the first Washingtonian temperance 
movement swept over the land, Mr. Due be- 
came one of its earliest converts. 



17 



He desired to erect a log barn where the 
Presbyterian parsonage now stands. The tim- 
bers were procured, and he sent out invita- 
tions to a barn raising, giving special notice 
that the barn should be raised loithout whisky. 

This was something new in the neighbor- 
hood. The men consulted together, and the 
consequence was that so few came on the day 
appointed that the barn was but partially 
raised. 

But that night, when Mr. Due was asleep, 
his fun-loving neighbors came slily together, 
put up his barn, rafters and all, and left a 
demijohn of whisky on the ridgepole. 

When Mr. Due arose in the morning, he 
gazed with surprise on the work. Presently 
he saw the demijohn and could not repress a 
smile at the manner in which his neighbors 
had outwitted him. Going into the house he 
brought out his old flint-lock, took deliberate 
aim, and the next moment King Alcohol de- 
scended from his throne on the ridgepole and 
lay ignobly on the ground. 



18 



Dr. Isham, afterward widely known through 
out Jackson and the adjoining counties, prac- 
ticed here for a number of years. 



FIRST SABBATH SCHOOL. 

The first Sabbath-school in the village was 
formed by Henry Due, James Blakely, Nathan 
B. Purinton and Cornelius Carr, 

PIKES. 

In the sixty -four years of Wilkesville's ex- 
istence but three buildings in the village have 
been destroyed by fire. 

The first was a large carding machine stand- 
ing on the back part of C. B. Taylor's lot, the 
second was a wagon shop owned by Gyrus 
Devault, and the third was the residence of 
Dr. H. H. Bishop. 



CHAPTER III. 



IN MKMOKIAM. 



Dr. George W. Althar. 

George W. Althar was born in Greenbrier 
County, Virginia, in the year 1796. His father 
was a farmer and desired his son to adopt the 
same avocation. 

George, however, was anxious to obtain an 
education, and become a physician. His 
scholastic opportunities were limited, but he 
made the best use of them, walking with his 
sister three miles over the mountains to 
school. 

There was a merchant, named Erskine, in 
Lewisburg, six miles distant. One day he no- 
ticed young Althar in the store and was sur- 

(19) 



20 



prised at the rapidity with which he made 
calculations in arithmetic. He inquired 
where the boy got his education, and was still 
more surprised to find that he had made such 
progress with such limited opportunities. 

He ofl'ered him a place in his store as a 
clerk, which (after some time) was accepted. 
He was sixteen years old when he left the 
farm to work for Mr. Erskine. 

He studied medicine with Dr. Winfield, 
teaching school to defray his expenses, and 
began practice in Pocahontas County. Vir- 
ginia. He was married to Hannah C. Gilli- 
land in 1824. He became involved in pecuni- 
ary difficulties by going security for a friend, 
lost the greater part of what he had gathered 
together, and in 1832 came to Wilkesville with 
his family, his household goods, and one dollar 
in money. 

For the next thirty years his history is a 
prominent part of the history of Wilkesville. 
There was a physician at Rutland, one at 



21 



Jackson, and others at Gallipolis and Athens. 
These were the neighbors with whom he 
counseled. For years he was the only phy- 
sician in Wilkesville, and day and night he 
rode over this country when it was almost a 
wilderness, prolonging human life and reliev- 
ing suffering. 

Not a few families in this region remember 
with affection "the old doctor," who was with 
them when their children were born, and when 
their parents died, and who was a trusted 
friend both in joy and in sorrow. 

His wife was truly a helpmeet for him. She 
read his books and was a woman of keen ob- 
servation and good judgment. If patients 
came and the doctor was away, they were sat- 
isfied if Mrs. Althar was at home. She could 
use the lancet and the forceps with steadier 
nerve than many a young practitioner. Al- 
though often in feeble health, she would leave 
her work and ride miles to the relief of the 
suffering. 

She died in 1841. 



22 



Dr. Althar was married three times. In 
1843 he married the widow Strong, who lived 
until 1857. His last wife, formerly Mrs. Cur- 
tis, still lives. He was the father of six sons 
and two daughters. His oldest child is Mrs. 
Virginia Cline, wife of Dr. W. C. Cline. Dr. 
Althar died in 1862. 

Benjamin F. Oroy. 

No memorial of Wilkesville would be com- 
plete without a mention of Benjamin F. Oroy. 
He was the son of Matthias Croy, who built 
the first mill in Wilkesville Township. 

Benjamin moved into the village, remodeled 
and practically rebuilt the house now occu- 
pied by the writer, where he lived until his 
death. 

Probably none of our former residents was 
so universally popular. He was an officer in 
the militia, Justice of the Peace, and held 
various other positions of honor and trust 
among his fellow-citizens. In the prime of 



23 

life and strength he was suddenly cut down. 

He died July 11th, 1840, aged thirty-four 

years. 

Benjamin B. Derry. 

Benjamin B. Derry was the son of Elder 
Peter H. Derry, a minister of the Baptist 
Church. 

He was born in Oneida County, New York, 
August 7, 1807. He came to Wilkesville with 
his father in 1828. He was married to Mrs. 
Emily Edmiston in 1833. His disposition was 
singularly lovely. He united firmness of 
principle and quiet decision of character with 
sensibilities as tender as a woman's. 

Not long before his death one of his neigh- 
bors said to the writer: "Mr. Derry comes 
nearer keeping the eleventh commandment 
than any man I ever knew.-' He was quiet 
and reserved, but those that knew him best 
knew that he had a deep and rich spiritual 
experience. 

He suffered several years with heart dis- 



24 

ease, which finally terminated in aneurism of 
the carotid arteries. On the fourth of July, 
1873, after a long illness patiently endured, 
he "fell asleep in Jesus." 

Zimri Wells. 

Zimri Wells was born in Berkshire County, 
Massachusetts, in the year 1T86. He was a 
lineal descendant of Rufus Wells, who came 
over in the "Mayflower." When he was 
quite young his father emigrated to Canada, 
where they remained until 1810, when he 
came to Wilkesville. Here, upon the farm 
now owned by Abel Wells, he spent the re- 
maining fifty- two years of his life. In the 
year 1814 he was married to Sarah Sargent. 
They were the parents of ten children, five 
sons and five daughters. The second daugh- 
ter was the first wife of Hon. H. S. Bundy, 
now member of Congress from this district. 
Mr. Wells was a soldier of the war of 1812. 
For sixteen consecutive years he was a Jus- 



25 



tice of the Peace in this township. His usual 
method in civil trials was to persuade the 
parties to settle the dispute, if possible, in 
which case he would always give them his 
costs. He, himself, never had a lawsuit in 
his life. 

He died in July, 1862. 



CHAPTER IV. 



CHURCHES. — THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH. 

The first Presbyterian sermon ever preached 
in Wilkesville was at the house of Henry Due, 
by Rev. William R Gould, who was then labor- 
ing at Gallipolis, under the auspices of the 
Connecticut Missionary Society. The church 
was organized by Mr. Gould in October, 1821, 
receiving seven persons, two men and five 
women, " on confession of their faith and be- 
lief in the Presbyterian Confession of Faith 
and the Westminster Shorter Catechism. » 

The original members were John Strong, 
Henry S. Due, Lucy Due, Mary Due, Betsy 
Davis, Sadai Strong and Mable Strong. 

The oldest members now living are James 
Blakely and Sally Wells, who were received 
May 29, 1826. 

(26) 



27 



At that time, Henry S. Due and John 
Strong were ordained elders. 

The church was irregularly supplied by Mr. 
Gould, Rev. Augustus Pomeroy and others 
until 1832, when Rev. Hiram R. Howe began 
his labors here. The church was fortunate in 
obtaining the labors of such a man, thor- 
oughly and biblically educated and judicious 
in his methods of work. Under his care the 
church prospered and the present building 
was erected. 

James Blakely was ordained elder in 1832. 

The church at Jackson was a colony from 
the Wilkesville Church, in 1836. 

Mr. Howe's labors closed here in 1837. 

In 1839 Rev. Ellery Bascom came on to the 
ground. He was different in many respects 
from his predecessor. He was energetic and 
earnest, but eccentric and unbalanced. He 
was here between one and two years. Dur- 
ing that time some twenty members were re- 
ceived to the church, of whom Emily Bertholf 
is the only one that still remains. 



28 



Rev. Abraham Blakely then supplied the 
church for a time. A further notice of him 
will be found further on in this history. 

After he went away the church was with- 
out a minister for several years. Rev. John 
Elliott and Rev. Nathaniel Cobb preached 
here occasionally. 

Mr. Thomas Miller was ordained an elder in 
1849. Dr. W. N. Hudson was also an elder. 

Rev. Calvin Hogshead supplied the church 
for two years. From 1845 to 1850 were the 
dark days of the church. There were but few 
members and they were disheartened. 

In 1850 Mr. Howe returned again and re- 
mained two years, and in 1855, Rev. Thomas 
A. Welch, of the Cumberland Presbyterian 
Church, began his labors, which continued for 
eight years. During his ministry the church 
was blessed with two precious revivals, one in 
1856, and one in 1860. 

After Mr. Welch, E. D. Shaw supplied the 
pulpit for one year. 



29 



The present pastor, Rev. Warren Taylor, 
came here in 1865, and remained till 1869, 
during which time there were two awaken 
ings, and Wilkesville Academy was built. He 
left here to become pastor of the Sixth Pres- 
byterian Church, Cincinnati. Rev. H. H. 
Wells spent the summer of 1870 with the 
church. He was then just in the beginning 
of his evangelistic career. With a great heart 
full of love for all humanity and sympathy 
for all that is good, he threw himself into the 
work. The church was repaired, the Sabbath- 
school built up, and other good accomplished. 

Mr. Taylor returned in the fall of 1870. 
Since that time there have been two most 
precious revivals; the last one wondrous 
beyond all description. I have only space to 
mention it here, but declare my purpose to 
write (at some future time) an account of 
that outpouring of the Holy Spirit. 

At the commencement of Mr. Taylor's min- 
istry, in Wilkesville, the church numbered 



30 

ninety- three members. The present member- 
ship is one hundred and eighty-five. 

The session consists of the following mem- 
bers : Elders — Thomas S. Miller, Henry Brad- 
ley, John Miller, J. C. Stewart, Charles E. 
Hawk. 

Mr. Bradley was for many years a mission- 
ary among the Indians. 

IN MEM0RIAM. 

Joseph P. Stewart was born in Pennsyl- 
vania, in the year 1795. He was a member 
of the Presbyterian Church, and a devoted 
follower of Christ from his youth. He 
came to Salem in 1840, where he resided 
till his death. He was an elder in the Mt. 
Carmel Presbyterian Church, at Danville, and 
afterward in the Wilkesville Church. 

Thoroughly Calvinistic in belief, quiet, 
earnest and kind in manner, he was every- 
where respected and loved. He and his 
sainted wife, who went home to glory two 



31 



years before him, raised a large family of use- 
ful and intelligent sons and daughters. 

He had been ill for some time, but no im- 
mediate danger was anticipated, when on the 
22d day of February, 1867, with scarce a sigh 
of pain, he suddenly " fell asleep. "' 

THE SONS OF THE CHURCH. 

Five ministers of the gospel of Christ have 
gone forth from the Wilkesville Church : 
Abraham Blakely, N. B. Purinton, Charles L\ 
Due, James Sheldon and Frank Sheldon. All 
save one have gone to their reward. 

Rev. Abraham Blakely was a native of Con- 
necticut ; came to Wilkesville in 1818, and be- 
came a member of this church at a " three 
days' meeting held in this place by Rev. 
Messrs. Fisher and Kimball," in July, 1831. 
He graduated in the first class that ever went 
forth from Marietta College, the class of 1838. 
He also graduated at Lane Seminary in 1841. 
He was at one time an instructor in Hebrew 



32 



at the Seminary. After an earnest, faithful 
ministry of twenty-four years in Ohio, Ken- 
tucky and Kansas, he heard the call of the 
Master, saying, " Come up higher." He died 
at Sodus, New York, in 1865. 

Rev. Nathan B. Purinton professed his faith 
in Christ in this church, in 1829. He was at 
that time married and the father of two chil- 
dren, but he became impressed with the 
thought that it was his duty to study for the 
ministry, and accordingly sold his farm and 
educated himself by means of the proceeds. 
He graduated at Ohio University in 1837 ; 
studied two years at Lane Seminary and then 
began his ministerial work (we believe) at 
Warren, Trumbull County, Ohio. He was in 
the ministry but nine years. He died in Mis- 
souri in 1848. 

Rev. Chas. S. L. Due was born in Wilkes- 
ville, and was the first child baptized by Mr. 
Gould after the organization of the church. 
He graduated at Marietta College in 1849, at 



83 

Lane Seminary in 1852 ; preached and founded 
a seminary at Hastings, Minnesota, where he 
died in 1868. 

Rev. James Sheldon joined this church, 
under the ministry of Mr. Howe, in 1834. He 
studied for the ministry under Mr. Howe's 
direction and for a time at Marietta, began 
his ministry at Logan, Hocking County, where 
he remained a number of years, and was 
greatly beloved. I am unable to tell where 
he went upon leaving Logan, but know that 
the last working years of his life were spent 
in Illinois. He died of consumption in 1872, 
at the residence of his brother, in Troy, 
Kansas. 

Rev. Frank Sheldon is still living and 
preaching in Kansas. He became a member 
of the Wilkesville Church about thirty years 
ago, under the ministry of Rev. Abraham 
Blakely. He graduated at Lane Seminary in 
1851. He revisited Wilkesville in 1871, be- 
ing at that time financial agent for Highland 
University. 



r 



34 

METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH. 

I regret that material for a history of this 
church is not easy obtainable. At present I 
can only give a notice of its origin and pres- 
ent condition. Rev. Mr. Dixon was the first 
Methodist minister that ever preached in this 
village, and he was followed by Rev. John 
Brown, who formed a class about 1814. I 
think that Mrs. Margaret Hawk (still living) 
was one of the original members. 

The society has at present about one hun- 
dred members. The house of worship is large 
and commodious, and the church is in a pros- 
perous condition. Wilkesville Circuit has 
about three hundred members. About fifty 
members have been received during the past 
year. 

Rev. A. Cartlich, the pastor, began his 
ministry in Adelphi, Ross County, Ohio, in 
1842. During his thirty-two years' ministry 
he has received about three thousand mem- 
bers into the Methodist Episcopal Church. 



35 

Rev. John Dillon, the presiding elder of 
this district, resides at Wilkesville. 

UNITED BRETHREN. 

There is a church of United Brethren in 
Wilkesville Township. It numbers about fifty 
members. They have recently errected a 
neat house of worship about four miles from 
the village. 

ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. 

The Roman Catholic Church in Wilkesville 
has about three hundred members. It should 
be remembered, however, that they enumer- 
ated all baptized infants as members. Their 
house of worship was destroyed by fire in 
1873. They are now building a church by 
far the most costly and imposing that Wilkes- 
ville has yet seen. The estimated cost of the 
structure is about eight thousand dollars. The 
church is under the priestly care of Father 
D'Arcy. 



CHAPTER V. 



SCHOOLS AND SOCIETY. 

The first school in Wilkesville, of which I 
can find any record, was taught by Mrs. 
Orooker, in 1818. 

A school-house wa» built where the present 
one stands about 1833. Miss Isham, sister of 
Dr. Isham, first taught in it. She was one of 
that "noble army" of New England school- 
ma'ams to whom the West owes so much of 
its culture and its principle. 

There was much opposition to her at first as 
she was a "high larnt" teacher and some of 
the people feared lest she should "put fool 
notions into the childer's heads." But the 
New England element of the community 
stood by her and soon she was greatly be- 
loved by her pupils and respected by all, 

(36) 



37 

Miss Emily Bertholf keeps to this day the 
story of Cinderella presented by Miss Isham. 

The English Reader and the introduction to 
it, with the New Testament, were the standard 
text books. The Western Calculator was 
studied by the larger boys. Geography was 
one of the higher branches, and Grammar 
was clear beyond the range of the young 
student's ambition. He would almost as soon 
have thought of studying Sanscrit or Arabic. 

After Miss Isham's time the schools im- 
proved rapidly. Beside tke public schools, 
there were occasional select schools. Maj. 
J. C. H. Cobb taught an excellent school for 
some two years, and Mrs. E. D. Shaw also 
taught for a time. 

Just after the close of the war, Rev. War- 
ren Taylor taught a select school in the 
Presbyterian Church. A number of returned 
soldiers attended. The school was a very 
pleasant one and some of us, just returned 
from camp and field, learned the boundaries 



38 



of the state of matrimony, whatever else we 
learned. 

WILKESVILLE NORMAL ACADEMY. 

In the spring of 1866, at a meeting of a 
few leading citizens, called by Rev. W. Tay- 
lor, the building of Wilkesville Academy was 
determined upon. The money was nearly all 
raised among our neighbors here. Mr. Taylor 
collected some while he was East attending 
the General Assembly of 1868. 

The school has been a great blessing to 
Wilkesville. It has attracted students from 
abroad, given excellent opportunities to our 
children at home, and furnished the surround- 
ing country with a superior grade of common- 
school teachers. 

We rejoice at the past and trust and pray 
for the future of our home school. The 
present principal, Mr. Francis M. Oheadle, 
took charge of the academy five years ago, 
and has been constantly at work ever since, 



39 

with the exception of two sessions when his 
health having failed, he gave the institution 
into the hands of Mr. C. B. Taylor, who had 
previously been his assistant. Mrs. Cheadle 
taught one session alone. 

The following is a list of all the teachers of 
the institution since its foundation : 

Principals. Assistants. 

J. Lee Gamble, Mary B. Cheadle, 

Lucy Cobb, Kate Deemer, 

F. M. Cheadle, Henderson S. Miller, 

Chas. B. Taylor, Chas. B. Taylor, 

Mary B. Cheadle. Clara Bradley. 

SOCIETIES. 

The Liberal and Progressive Association 

Is a society of Spiritualists whose members 
reside in Wilkesville and Salem. They have 
recently repaired the old Universalist Church 
and named it Progressive Hall. 



40 

Orphan's Friend Lodge No. 275, F and A. M. 

A Lodge of Free Masons was organized in 
1829, named Orphan's Friend Lodge No. 100. 

The officers were Job Phetteplace, Master; 
E. McMillen, Senior Warden; Oushing Shaw, 
Junior Warden; T. P. Fogg, Treasurer; N. B. 
Purinton, Secretary ; Seth Thomson, Senior 
Deacon; A. Saunders, Junior Deacon; Royal 
R. Althar, Tyler. 

This Lodge ceased work in 1844. The last 
entry in the minutes is signed H. G. Daniel, 
Secretary. 

The Lodge was resurrected in 1855 with the 
title, Orphan's Friend Lodge No. 275, with the 
following charter members: John H. Cay wood, 
D. H. Smith, R. 0. Grant, H. H. Bishop, Job 
Phetteplace, Jeremiah F. Davis, F. Rowley, G. 
Underwood, T. P. Fogg and Gushing Shaw. It 
numbers about eighty members, has a beauti- 
ful, well furnished hall, and is in a prosperous 
condition pecuniarily. 



41 



The present officers are 

Jeremiah F. Davis, Worshipful Master, 

Geo. L. Deny, Senior Warden. 

E. P. Thompson, Junior Warden. 

Job P. Strong, Senior Deacon. 

A. B. Gray, Junior Deacon. 

Win. H. Strong, Treasurer. 

Finney Strong, Secretary. 

A. A. Strong, Tyler. 



CHAPTER VI. 



WAR RECORD. 

I take peculiar satisfaction in placing upon 
record the names of the men from Wilkesville 
who served in the war for the preservation of 
the Union. 

Some names may be omitted ; there may 
be errors in the record, but I have tried to 
make the list a full and correct one. It is 
difficult after such a lapse of time to do the 
work which would have been comparatively 
easy in 1865. 

Fellow-citizens, preserve this record ; let 
these names be read by your children ; teach 
them to honor the men who marched and 
fought and suffered, and of whom some died to 
perpetuate the life of our country. 

(42) 



43 

FIRST THREE MONTJ 



o 



The first men from Wilkesville who enlisted 
in the Grand Army were Hazen E. Soule, 
Rufus W. Strong and Waldo Murray. They 
were in the 18th Ohio and served in the Rich 
Mountain campaign under McClellan. 

wilkesville's heroic dead. 

Thomas Sraton Miller, Co. B. 90th O. V. I., 
was killed at the battle of Stone River on the 
evening of December 31, 1862. He was twen- 
ty years and seven months old; was a member 
of the Presbyterian Church at Wilkesville. 

Abraham Strasbaugh, 114th O. V. I., died at 
Memphis, Tennessee, July 26th, 1863, aged 
twenty-one years and one month. He was also 
a member of the Presbyterian Church at 
Wilkesville. 

Winfield S. Morris, 36th O. V. I., was killed 
in battle at Cabelltown, in the Shenandoah 
Valley on the 19th day of August, 1864. He 
was twenty-six years of age. 



44 



Michael Daugherty, 114th O. V. I., was 
killed at the battle ot Chickasaw Bluffs, Mis- 
sissippi, December 25th, 1862. 

James NAUGHT0N,*114th O. V. I., died January, 
1863, of wounds received at Chickasaw Bluffs. 

Jesse Liston, 114th O. V. L, died of a wound 
received at Chickasaw Bluffs. 

James Sweeny, 114th O. V. I., died in rear 
of Vicksburg, March, 1863. 

Andrew Quinn, 114th O. V. I., died at Vicks- 
burg, August, 1863. 

William McKenzie, 114th 0. V. I., died at 
Arkansas Post. 

Hiram and David Gear, brothers, 27th O. V. 
I., died in the service. 

John Keenan, 114th O. V. I., died at Milli- 
ken's Bend, in 1863. 

Hiram Dorton, 194th O. V. I., died at City 
Point. 

Edward Swekny, 73d O. V. I., killed at An- 
tietam, September 17th, 1862. 



45 

SOLDIERS WHO RETURNED. 

The following are the names of the Wilkes- 
ville soldiers who returned, with a brief notice 
of their regiments : 

27th O. V. I. 

Arminius Gear, Henry Gear, Jacob Gear, 
Jonas Gear. 

The 27th was recruited at Camp Chase in 
August, 1861, was in the battles oflukaand 
Corinth, and in the campaign under Sherman 
in 1864, from Chattanooga to Atlanta. 

The regiment passed through many battles 
and lost severely in the battle of Kenesaw 
Mountain. 

36th O. V. I. 

Lieut. Lafayette Hawk, James Campbell, 
Isaac Eutsler, Charles E. Hawk, 

Allen Davidson, Van Denney, 

John Davidson. Randall Denney, 

David Althar, William McKee. 



46 



The 36th was recruited in 1861, was in the 
battles of Antietam, Chickamauga, Lookout 
Mountain, and went through the campaign of 
1864 in the Shenandoah, including the battles 
of Winchester, Fisher's Hill and Cedar Creek. 

53d O. V. I. 

Hazen E. Soule, John C. Oooney, 

John Moore, John H. Douglass, 

William Douglass, Lafayette Douglass, 

James Douglass, Rufus W. Strong, 

William Sweeney. 

An account of the 53d will be found in the 
war record of Salem. 

66 th O. V. I. 

Finney Strong, Samuel Rowley. 

The boys were with Sherman in the "march 

to the sea." 

90 th O. V. I. 

Jacob G. Miller, George L. Derry, 

Joseph Devault, John Derry, 

Cyrus Devault, Lafayette Gaston. 



47 



The 90th served against Bragg in Kentucky, 
in 1862, was in the battles of Stone River and 
Chickamauga, through the campaign which re- 
sulted in the capture of Atlanta, and in the 
battles of Franklin and Nashville. J. G. Miller 
was captured at Chickamauga and remained a 
prisoner at Andersonville for nineteen months. 

114th O. V. I. 

Oapt. James Duffie, James Quinn, 
George E. Cook, Thomas McGovern, 

John Levis, Aaron McKenzie, 

Frank Keck, James Murray, 

George Gaudy, Samuel Stoner, 

John Morgan. 
The 114th fought through the campaign 
which resulted in the capture of Vicksburg, 
and was also in the disastrous Red River ex- 
pedition. 

116th O. V. I. 

Michael Strasbaugh, James B. Miller, 
William Cavit Miller. 



48 



An account of the 116th will be found in 
the Salem war record. 

th O. N. G. 



Frank Rowley, M. G. Althar, 

H. A. Haley, 

173d O. V. I. 

David W. Miller, Hiram Hawk. 

The boys fought well at the battle of Nash- 
ville. David Miller got a ball in his neck 
that came near closing bis earthly career. 

194th O. V. I. 



Capt. John Gillilan, 
Jonah H. R. Hawk, 
Philip Keck, 
Harvey Wells, 
Cyrus C. Miller, 
Andrew J. Keck, 
Frank Keck, 
William M. Morris, 



Jonathan Cable, 
David Terry, 
Albert Crowell, 
William Crowell, 
Oscar A. Hawk, 
John A. Hawk, 
Ezra Booth, 
Hiram Booth, 



49 

Thomas Althar, Rufus Booth, 

Hiram Devault, John Johnson, 

N. Quincy Martindale, John Boice, 
David Sprouse, Peter Boice, 

Henry McCartney, Ivory Thacker, 
Peter Napper, Nimrod Thacker, 

John Napper, Chapman Thacker. 

Wm. H. Thacker. 
The 194th went out near the close of the 
war. They served about eight months doing 
guard duty at Washington and other points. 

2d Va. Cavalry. 
John L. Hawk, Geo. W. Althar. 

A splendid regiment that served through- 
out the war and in battles and skirmishes 
almost innumerable. 

17th U. & C. T. 
Edward Arrington, Jackson Hays, 
Humphry Anderson, William Anderson, 
William Watson. 
A good regiment in camp, on the march, 
and on the battle-field. 



50 



MISCELLANEOUS, 



John L. Douglas, Detached Service; H. H. 
Bishop, M. D., Surgeon in the Army of Middle 
Tennessee ; Lieut. John C. Bishop, 1st Va.Vet. ; 
Austin Oarr, 60th O. V. I.; Alonzo Cable, 11th 
Pennsylvania Cavalry ; Ira Denney, 1st O. H. 
A.; William Champlin, Cavalry; C. O. Hawk, 
68th O. V. L; A. A, Strong, 7th Ohio Battery. 

In all, one hundred and thirteen soldiers 
went from Wilkesville. Ninety-nine returned ; 
fourteen belong to that great " standing army'' 
in the South whose memories are hallowed 
by a nation's love and their graves bedewed 
with a nation's tears. 

The following persons, now residents of 
Wilkesville, were soldiers in the grand army, 
although at the time of their enlistment they 
did not reside in Wilkesville or Salem. 

Jordan J. Peden, 36th O. V. I. ; Rev. Warren 
Taylor, 140th O.N. G, ; Chas. B. Taylor, 86th 
O. V. I. and 1st 0. H. A. ; F. M. Cheadle, 87th 
O. V. I. and 2d O. H. A.; Joseph Cline, 87th 






51 



O. V, I. and 13 th 0. V. C; Louis Keltenbach 
1st O, H. A. ; W. W. Fierce, M. D., 87th Indiana' 



THE MORGAN RAID. 



Wilkesville had the rather equivocal honor 
of being in the track of the dashing raider in 
his brilliant but disastrous march through 
Southern Ohio. 

When it became evident that our State was 
really invaded, the Governor called out the 
militia, designating the camp to which each 
detachment should go. 

The Wilkesville militia were fortunate 
enough to get a soldier to command them, as 
Hazen B. Soule was at home just recovering 
from a long illness, the result of army expos- 
ure. In this respect, they were more fortunate 
than some of the companies which were com- 
manded by honest farmers who had never 
seen a regiment in line and were captivatingly 
innocent of all knowledge of military tactics* 

Those were the days when the commands 



52 



were heard: "Get in two rows of war there." 
u Turn round and march endways like you did 
yesterday." 

It needs a mightier pen than ours to describe 
the terrible hardships, the hairbreadth escapes, 
and the thrilling adventures of our brave 
militia who fought, bled, and died at Camp 
Portsmouth. Those who desire further partic- 
ulars are respectfully referred to Esquire J. N. 
Douglas, or our mirth-loving friend, J. J. Cline. 

Suffice it to say that all did their duty and 
deserve credit therefor. 

On the 17th of July, 1863, the news came 
to the town that the enemy was approaching 
on the Jackson road. It flew like wildfire, 
and every tongue had something to add to 
the tale of murder, pillage and wanton de- 
struction. One would have thought that Gen. 
Morgan's army were veritable ogres, rivaling 
the diet of the noted " Hokey-pokey, winkey- 
wang, King of the Cannibal Islands." 

Here let me state, as a matter of justice to 



53 



a conquered foe, that Gen. Morgan and his 
daring little army acted very much as any 
raiding army acts in going through a hostile 
country. War is war, and every army leaves 
more or less of desolation in its track, but the 
boys who served with Sherman in the "march 
to the sea," or with Sheridan in the valley of 
the Shenandoah, laugh in their sleeves at the 
stories of the "outrages" committed by Mor- 
gan's band. 

One thing was certain, the hotly pursued 
fugitives wanted fresh horses, and took them 
wherever they could find them. The few men 
who were at home took their horses to the 
woods and remained till the invaders had de- 
parted. As for the population at large, 

"Ah ! then and there was hurrying to and fro, 
And gathering tears, and tremblings of distress." 

The girls hid their jewelry. Some of them 
buried it in the garden, so that it might be 
perfectly safe ; in fact they hid it so safely 
that they have never been able to find it 



54 



since. Bed clothing and wearing apparel 
were concealed where possible. 

Morgan arrived in the evening and remained 
at the house of Dr. Cline. The next morning 
he resumed his flight toward Buffington's 
Island and eventual imprisonment. 

Mr. J. N. Douglas was probably the heavi- 
est loser by the raid in this vicinity. 

He was away from home and could not pro- 
tect his new stock of dry goods, boots, cloth- 
ing, etc., and the rebels went through the 
store with a vengeance. 



CHAPTER VII. 



WILKESVILLE IN 1874. 

The present population of Wilkesville 
Township is about seventeen hundred. The 
village contains between three and four hun- 
dred inhabitants. 

PROMINENT CITIZENS AND BUSINESS MEN. 

Dr. W. C. Cline & Son, Druggists, Brokers, 
and Dealers in Stock and Real Estate. 

Wm. C. Cline, M. D., was born in Lewis 
County, Virginia, July 20, 1825. He came to 
Ohio at the age of twelve years, began the 
study of medicine in the office of Dr. Althar 
in 1847, graduated at Starling Medical College 
in 1851, since which time he has been in prac- 
tice in Wilkesville. 

(56) 



56 



By incessant industry, perseverance and bus- 
iness tact Dr. Oline has accumulated a large 
amount of property. He is one of the lead- 
ing Republicans of Vinton County, and his 
name has been frequently suggested for mem- 
bership in the legislature, but we suspect that 
he doesn't "see enough money in it;" that is, 
he has no time for such matters. 

Geo. W. Oline, the junior partner in the firm, 
is twenty-one years of age, educated at 
Wilkesville Normal Academy and Ohio Wes- 
leyan University. 

John Strong & Son, Merchants. John Strong 
is the son of Daniel Strong, one of the original 
settlers of Salem. Mr. Strong was born in 
1822, educated at Oberlin, engaged for some 
time in the practice of law, but now for many 
years in business in Wilkesville. 

Finney Strong, the junior partner, is twen- 
ty-eight years old, educated at Wilkesville 
Academjr and Lebanon Normal School. He 
was formerly engaged in the drug business in 
McArtliur. 



57 



Marshall P. Oarr, Merchant, was born in 
Charleston, West Virginia, in 1828, began bus- 
iness life as a clerk in the store of H. G. 
Daniel, began business for himself about 
1850, in 1854 moved to his present site, where 
for twenty years he has been a successful 
merchant. Mr. Carr is a prominent member 
of the Methodist Episcopal Church. 

John Gillilan, Merchant, was formerly a 
teacher, during the war a captain in the 194th 
O. V. I., commenced present business in 
Wilkesville in 1872, is a prominent member 
and official in the Methodist Episcopal Church. 

John Miller, Merchant, successor to Miller 
& Bro., successors to Cline, Miller & Co. 

Mr. Miller is now about forty-two years of 
age; does by far the largest business in goods 
and produce that is done in or near Wilkes- 
ville, shipping over 30,000 dozen of eggs and 
30,000 pounds of butter yearly. Mr. Miller is 
an elder in the Presbyterian Church and su- 
perintendent of its Sabbath-school. 



58 



H. H. Bishop, M. D., Physician and Drug- 
gist. Dr. Bishop was born in Harrison County, 
Ohio, April 1, 1818, graduated at Starling 
Medical College in 1847, and at University of 
Nashville in 18C5, served as assistant surgeon 
and was afterward a contract surgeon in the 
army. 

Hon. A. A. Soule. Mr. Soule was born in 
Maine in 1799. He volunteered in the army 
near the close of the war of 1812, but was not 
in active service. He came to Ohio in 1817, 
resided for some years in Washington County, 
where he married and afterward removed to 
Salem Center, came to Wilkesville in 1838, 
and has resided here since that time, with the 
exception of the time when he was manager 
of Buckeye Furnace. Although nearly sev- 
enty-five years old, he has, by temperate hab- 
its and prudent living, so far retained his 
strength as to be able to work upon his farm 
in a manner that would weary many a young 
man. Mr. Soule is a Democrat of the " strict- 



59 



est sect.'* He has repeatedly been elected 
County Commissioner, and represented Vinton 
County in the Ohio Legislature in 1870 and 
1871. ' 

THE WILKESVILLE REPORTER, 

Be it recorded that Wilkesville did once 
have a paper. The first number of the Wilkes- 
ville Reporter was issued July 25, 1872. Chas. 
B. Taylor and Vinet E. Taylor, Editors and 
Publishers. 

The paper supported Gen. Grant for the 
Presidency during the campaign, and con- 
tinued thereafter as long as either of the edi- 
tors had a dollar left, when it went down with 
colors flying. 

We know not how to close this brief his- 
tory better than by an extract from our last 
editorial in the Reporter : 

" Our village has grown but slowly on ac- 
count of the few facilities which we have for 
communicating with the outside world. Never 
mind. We shall have a railroad some day, 



60 



and there may be a city here yet. As 
it is, we love the dear, quiet, old town, with 
its kind, warm-hearted people, and when it 
comes our time to leave this world, we want 
our bones to be laid in the old graveyard on 
the hill. Wherever our lot may be cast we 
shall never cease to feel a hearty interest in 
the prosperity of Wilkesville." 

TOWNSHIP OFFICERS, 1874. 

CLERK. 

George E. Cook. 

TREASURER. 

Ben. F. Williams. 

TRUSTEES. 

Phillip Miller, 
Abel Wells, 
Frank Keck. 

JUSTICES. 

Henry Hawk, 
J. N. Douglas, 
Charles Mulhoiland. 



SALEM. 



SALEM. 

CHAPTER I 



EARLY SETTLEMENT. 

The brief account which follows does not 
claim to be a history of Salem. 

I have simply gathered up a few items about 
the early settlers, which may save the future 
historian some trouble. 

About the beginning of the present cen- 
tuiy, Timothy Dexter, a merchant prince of 
Boston, purchased a large tract of land from 
the Ohio Company. Mr. Dexter had a num- 
ber of ships engaged in the East India trade, 
one of which had been commanded for years 
by Capt. Joseph Merrill. The faithfulness and 
integrity of Capt. Merrill had won Mr. Dex- 

(63) 



64 



ter's friendship, and finding that the captain 
was growing weary of a sea-faring life, he 
proposed to give him a farm in Ohio, if he 
would go to it and attend to the rest of the 
purchase. 

Merrill accepted the proposition and came 
to Salem about 1801, settling in the south- 
eastern part of the township. 

Capt. Merrill built the first frame house in 
what is now Meigs County. The weather- 
boarding was wild cherry, sawed with a whip 
saw, which he borrowed in Virginia. He re- 
mained in Salem but a few years, and then re- 
moved to Rutland. In the western part of 
the township the first settlement was made in 
1803 by Judge Orasha Strong and his sons. 

Orasha Strong was born in Massachusetts, 
May 16, 1758. He served as a soldier through- 
out the war of the Revolution. He came to 
Ohio in 1797, resided in Athens till 1799, when 
he removed to Jackson and engaged in the 
making of salt, which was at that time a very 



65 



profitable business, as salt was worth $4.00 
per bushel. He finally exchanged his inter- 
est in the salt works for a section of land in 
Salem and moved to it in May, 1803. He was 
the father of seven sons and three daughters, 
most of whom came with him and settled 
around him. One son, Hon. Jared Strong, re- 
mained at Jackson until his death. He was 
a prominent business man and represented 
Jackson County in the legislature. 

The residence of Orasha Strong was on the 
road leading from Wilkesville to Dexter Creek, 
near the present residence of J. J. Strong, 
Esq. Here he lived for twenty-eight years, 
was at one time Judge of the Court of Com- 
mon Pleas, saw his children prosperous around 
him and died July 14, 1831. 

Two of his sons, Jared and Ozias, married 
daughters of Col. Jehiel Gregory, of Athens. 
One of them, Mrs. Annis Strong, the widow 
of Ozias, still lives at the residence of her 
son, J. J. Strong. The first time that she was 



66 

in Salem was a short time before her mar- 
riage in 1811, when, in accordance with an 
j invitation from her brother-in-law, Jared 
Strong, she came to Salem and then went to 
Jackson to visit her sister. Going from Salem 
to Jackson they passed "Wells' Blacksmith 
Shop," below where Wilkesville now is, and 
that was the last house they saw till they ar- 
rived at Jackson, eighteen miles distant. 

Soon after the Strongs, William Parker and 
his family came to Salem, and in 1807 John 
Williams came. The localities inhabited by 
these early settlers can be told now by the 
streams which bear their names: Strong's 
Run, Parker's Run and Williams' Run. Dex- 
ter's Run, or Dexter Creek, was named by 
Capt. Merrill for Timothy Dexter. 

In 1814 Salem Township was organized. It 
then included Wilkesville and was a part of 
Gallia County. The first township election 
was held April 20, 1814. Rufus Wells was 
chairman of the meeting, and the following 
officers were elected: 



67 

Stephen Strong, Clerk, 
Daniel S. Strong, Treasurer. 

Rufus Wells, \ 
William White, y Trustees. 
Felix Grimes, J 

Ephraim Aleshire, "I 

Felix Grimes, / Fence Viewers ° 

William Green, ) 

William White, \ Overseers of the Poor. 

Zimri Wells, ) 

Ozias Strong, \ Gonsiah ^- 

Ozias Strong, j 

Peter Aleshire, \ A PP™™'™ 

Henry Due, 



Cushing Shaw, \ Justices 

The next year Wilkesville became a sepa- 
rate township and Adam Long was elected 
Justice of the Peace in place of Henry Due. 
His official life was very short and terminated 



68 



on this wise : Ozias Strong had a very jovial 
disposition and was an excellent mimic. Mr. 
Long was a German and spoke broken En- 
glish, a fact concerning which he was ex- 
tremely sensitive. 

Mr. Strong amused himself and some of the 
other fun-loving young men by mimicking 
Long's legal decisions in the German brogue. 
Teased beyond endurance, Adam resigned, 
saying that "he had no obsheckshuns to 
de office, but he would not be fooled and 
mocked mit Ozias.-' 

In 1816 there were thirty voters in the 
township and about one hundred and fifty in- 
habitants. 

I will here give the names and residences 
of the voters, with such facts regarding them 
as may be of interest: 

Dr. Hupp and his sons, Daniel and Emanuel 
Hupp, lived near Wilkesville, on the farm now 
occupied by Thomas Miller. 

Next came Orasha Strong and his sons, 



69 



John, Stephen, Elijah, Daniel, Ozias and Silas. 
But one of these is now living, Silas Strong, 
whose residence is in Rutland. John Strong 
was a man of great firmness of character and 
no small degree of mental ability. He was 
one of the founders and first elders of the 
Presbyterian Church in Wilkesville. Hon. 
Stephen Strong was, while he lived, probably 
the most influential of the brothers. There 
is a record on the township books of an ap- 
propriation of twenty dollars to pay the ex- 
penses of Stephen Strong while acting as 
agent at Columbus to secure the establish- 
ment of Meigs County. This was in the win- 
ter of 1818-19. He afterward represented 
Meigs County in the legislature. He built 
the old brick between Mr. Caywood's and Es- 
quire Joseph Strong's, where he resided till 
his death in 1834. 

Ozias Strong lived on the old homestead. 
He was Justice of the Peace for twenty -four 
consecutive years. He died in 1871. 



70 



Daniel S. Strong lived on the farm now 
owned by his son-in-law, J. H. Caywood. I re- 
member how he looked when at the age of 
more than fourscore, he would drive through 
the chilling rains of winter to attend to any 
business which he had. But even his iron 
constitution gave way at last. He died in 1867. 

John Williams lived where his grandson, 
Sanford Williams, now lives. Four of his sons 
are still living in the neighborhood — Jesse, 
John, Elisha and Reuben. 

The Williams family were noted for the part 
they took in the late war for the perpetuation 
of the Union and the freedom of the slave. 
All the Williams mentioned in the Salem war 
record are sons or grandsons of old John Wil- 
liams. 

Not far from the Williams' lived Peter Ale- 
shire and his sons, Ephraim and Peter, and 
John N. Spronse, a soldier of the war of 1812, 
who is still living in Wilkesville Township at 
the age of eighty-six. 



71 



Id the spring of 1816 Thomas P. Fogg be- 
gan a clearing at Salem Center, where he still 
resides. He did not really settle there till 
1821, but was there part of the time. During 
those five years he went twice to New Orleans, 
returning by sea each time. 

Mr. Fogg was born in Maine, in 1794, and 
consequently is about eighty years old. He 
has experienced a great deal of physical suf- 
fering within the past few years, but retains 
his mental faculties to a remarkable degree. 
He has been a life-long temperance man, and 
in the days of slavery was an abolitionist. 
The underground railroad went right through 
Salem. 

At one time a newspaper at Lewisburg, Vir* 
ginia, published an offer of $2,000 as a reward 
"for the capture, dead or alive, of William 
Green, John Fordyce and Thomas P. Fogg, all 
of Salem, Ohio," accused of harboring slaves. 

Mr. Fogg speaks with justifiable pride of 
the fact that all four of his sons were soldiers 



72 



in the Union Army. The names of two of 
them will be found in the list of Salem's 
heroic dead. 

In the extreme southeastern part of the 
township lived Edward Williams and his three 
sons, Edward, William and Seely. The family 
has long since disappeared from Salem. 

Felix Grimes and Adam Long lived near 
each other on or near Dexter. 

Felix Grimes was one of the Irish patriots 
of 1797 and 1798. He came to this country 
with Blennerhasset, who was a cousin of Mrs. 
Grimes. I do not know the date of Mrs. 
Grimes' settlement in Salem, but it was very 
early. Mrs. Grimes was the first person to re- 
ceive Christian burial in Meigs County. Her 
remains lie on the farm owned by Mr. Har- 
kins, about a mile from Danville. 

Cushing Shaw lived in the same neighbor- 
hood. William Parker and his son, Ebenezer, 
and William Warner lived together on Par- 
ker's Run. 



73 



James Conner and his sons, John and James, 
lived further up Dexter. I do not know just 
where William Green lived. 

These were (I believe) all the voters of 
Salem in 1816. About 1817 Benjamin Leigh 
moved into the township, and in 1818 came 
Jacob Swett. After a long and exemplary- 
life Mr. Swett died in 1873 in his one hun- 
dredth year. John Darst came about 1817, 
and Mr. Fordyce about the same time. Mr. 
Fordyce is represented as being a " singularly- 
inoffensive man," but he and his family were 
eccentric and had very peculiar notions about 
religion and social science. The Fordyces 
had four children, named Alpha, Omega, Alle- 
luia and Peace. 

In 1819, upon the formation of Meigs County, 
a tier of sections was taken from Morgan Town- 
ship, Gallia County, and added to Salem. This 
gave Salem a number of new settlers. Among 
them was Arthur Ledlie, the father of Judge 
William Ledlie. 



74 



Mr. Ledlie came from Ireland in 1801, lived 
for a number of years in Philadelphia, where 
William was born, came to Chillicothe, Ohio, 
in 1815 and to Salem in 1816. 

He died in 1 838. 

William Ledlie was born in 1803. He lived 
in Rutland for a few years, but settled per- 
manently in Salem in 1825. He was formerly 
associate judge in Meigs County, and is known 
throughout Southern Ohio as leader of the 
old line Democracy. He has a wonderful 
memory of s dates, statistics and incidents. I 
do not know when I enjoyed an afternoon 
more heartily than the one which I spent "in- 
terviewing' 1 him at his own house. It is a 
singular fact that during his long life he has 
never owned a pocket-knife, watch, or gun. 

In closing this brief account I return special 
thanks to Mrs. Annis Strong, Mr. Fogg and 
Judge Ledlie for their information concerning 
the earlier times, and to Esquire Robert H. 
Brewster for his assistance in revising and 
correcting the war record. 



75 



Salem now contains about two thousand in- 
habitants. They are noted for their intelli- 
gence, and for the large number of books and 
periodicals which are read among them. The 
township officers are as follows: 

Cecil Fogg, Clerk. 

T. (x. Thompson, Treasurer. 

Robert H. Brewster, 

Wm. H. Strong, ) Trustees. 

S. S. Haines, 

Joshua Coburn, 

Joseph J. Strong, )> Justices. 

Robert H. Brewster, 



CHAPTER II. 



WAR RECORD. 



First Three Months' Service, 

The first men from Salem who sprang to 
arms at the President's call were Cecil Fogg, 
Geo. W. Williams, Henry Hoyd, E. Jasper 
Gorby, Eli Edmondson, T. S. Harkins and S. 
P. Gorby, all of the 18th Ohio. 

salem's heroic dead. 

1. Benjamin Wood, 53d O. V. I., was killed 
at Shiloh, April 6, 1862. 

2. Clarkson Fogg, 4th Va. I., was killed at 
Vicksburg, May 19, 1863. 

(76) 



77 



3. John Cort, 4th Va. L, was killed at Vicks- 
burg, May 22, 1863. 

4. Theodore Edmondson, 36th O. V. I., was 
killed at the battle of South Mountain, Sep- 
tember 14, 1862. 

5. Levi Little, 7th 0. V. 0., was killed at 
Blue Springs, East Tennessee, October 10, 
1863. 

6. Harvey Brown, 53d O. V. I., died May 17, 
1864, of wounds received at Resaca. 

7. Isaac Nelson, 7th O. V. C, died a prisoner 
at Andersonville. 

8. Cyrus Nelson, 7th O. V. C, died a prisoner 
at Andersonville. 

9. T. Smith Harkins, 53d O. V. I., died at 
Libby Prison. 

10. John G. Busseil, 116th O. V. I., was cap- 
tured on the Lynchburg raid, and (probably) 
died at Richmond. 

11. Jacob Butts, 116th O. V. L, died at Win- 
chester in 1863. 

12. Austin Crowell, 53d O. V. L, died at 
Camp Diamond, Jackson, Ohio, 1861. 



78 



13. Jonathan Barrett, 53d O. V. I , died at 
Monterey, Tennessee, June 4, 1862. 

14. Alexander Bain, 53d O. V. I., died at 
Fort Pickering, Tennessee, August 8, 1862. 

15. T. Jefferson Aleshire, 53d O. V. I., died 
at Fort Pickering, January 6, 1863. 

16. Henry H. (Jarr, 53d O. V. I., died at Pu- 
laski, Tennessee, March 26, 1864. 

17. John Calvin Davis, 53d O. V. I., died 
(probably) on board a hospital steamer near 
Memphis, in 1862. 

18. William Gorby, 53d O. V. I., died at 
Camp Dennison, June 30, 1864. 

19. John Ogden, 53d 0. V. I., died at Cin- 
cinnati, August 21, 1862. 

20. Zacariah Wiseman, 7th 0. V. 0., died at 
Lexington, Kentucky, April 20, 1863. 

21. Isaac Meanor, 7th O. V. 0., died at Stan- 
ford, Kentucky, May 30, 1863. 

22. Warren Coulter, 7th O. V. C, died at 
Knoxville, Tennessee. 

23. Matthew Lowry, 19th Regulars, died a 
prisoner at Richmond. 



79 



24. Henry Norman, 7th 0. V.O., died in the 
service. 

25. Henry Rife, 53d O. V. L, died at Oamp 
No. 6, Mississippi, May 17th. 1862. 

26. John M. Halliday, 53d O. V. L, died at 
Portsmouth, Ohio. 

27. P. M. Rumfield, 53d O. V. L, died at home 
on furlough. 

28. James H. White, 36th O. V. I., died at 
Summerville, West Virginia, in 1861. 

29. William Allen Ledlie, 90th O. V. I., died 
near Murfreesboro, Tennessee, April 20, 1863. 

30. Joseph Tuttle, 53d O. V. L, died in ser- 
vice. 

- 31. Alfred Kent, 56th O. V. I., died at New 
Orleans. 

32. Emanuel Kent, 56th O. V. L, died at Lit- 
tle Rock, Arkansas. 

33. Wm. H. Gorby, 194th 0. V. L, died at 
Columbus, Ohio, 1865. 

34. Calvin Roach, 194th O, V. I., died at 
Columbus, Ohio, 1865. 



80 



35. Stephen Fogg, marine service, died at 
home, Salem Center. 

'SOLDIERS WHO RETURNED. 

30th O. V. I. 

Ezra Knapp, Callahill Taylor, 

Piatt Piersol, Moses Taylor. 

36th Ohio. 

Cecil Fogg, William P. Hall, 

Wm. H. H. Dyke, Wm. P. Coy, 
John H. Crowell, Mitchell Ward, 

Winneld Edmondson, Nelson Wood, 
Eli Davis, David H. Kent, 

George McKean. 

A brief account of the 36th will be found 
in the Wilkesville war record. 

40th O.V. I. 

Benjamin F.Williams, J. Wesley Williams, 
George W. Williams, Henry Hoyd. 



81 

The boys served through the whole war, and 
were with Sherman from Chattanooga clear to 
the sea. Ben. F. Williams lost a leg at Ken- 
esaw Mountain. 

19th Regulars. 

Taylor Coburn, Benjamin Hutchinson, 

G. W. Hampton, Andrew Sylvester. 

53d O. V. I. 

Capt. D. T. Harkins, Capt. D. H. Lasiey, 
Lieut. E. J. Gorby, B. Franklin Addis, 
R H. Brewster, Alfred Brown, 

Nicolas M. Baird, Marion Brown, 

Charles Edmondson, William D. Gorby, 
Eli Edmondson, B. Franklin Gorby, 

Matthew T. Edmondson, John S. Gorby, 
James M. Edmondson, Samuel P. Gorby, 
Charles D. Russell, William Scadden, 
Drayton Hays, James Scadden, 

Boyd Lyle, John McCann, 

Isaac Lyle, James Oty, 



82 

Oliver Lyle, Eli Kife, 

Levi Shirkey, Clarks.on Williams, 

Harvey Williams, A. Curtis Williams, 

William H. Davis, James Arthur Williams, 

James H. Dyke, David Aleshire. 

The 53d was at Shiloh, was in the campaign 
which resulted in the capture of Atlanta, lost 
heavily at Resaca, Kenesaw Mountain and 
Dalton, went with Sherman to the sea, was 
the first regiment over the works at Fort Mc- 
Allister, and won Gen. Sherman's commenda- 
tion in a public order. 

91st O. V. I. 

Wm. B. Savage, Henry Kent, Job Scott. 

Savage lost a leg, Kent lost an arm, Job 
managed to get home whole and hearty. They 
were good soldiers and belonged to a good 
regiment. 



83 



116 th" O. V. I. 



Brevet Major, J. 0. 

H. Cobb, 
Joseph F. Christy, 
John R. Steel, 
Joseph C. Stewart, 
Edward Lowry, 



John W. Harrison, 
Samuel R. Halliday, 
Joel Cummings, 
Edward H. Bradley, 
James A. Strong, 



Henry Weyand, 
J. Fitzpatrick. 

The 116th was in the Lynchburg raid under 
Hunter, and in the valley of the Shenandoah 
under Sheridan, at Winchester, Fisher's Hill 
and Cedar Creek. 



194th O. V. I. 



Eleven S. Might, 
John Might, 
Samuel Might, 
Elisha Kent, 
Henry Cameron, 
Jesse J. Williams, 



James C. Gorby, 
Cyrus Gorby, 
James Baker, 
William Mapes, 
Anson Phetteplace, 
John I. Hawk, 



84 



196 th O. V. I. 

Almon Rathburn, Wilson W. Edmondson, 

4th Va. I. 

John Cort, Thomas Calhoun, 

Lewis Love. 

7th O. V. C. 



John Wiseman, 
Martin Nelson, 
Joseph F. McCaskey, 
Wm. Burns, 
Joseph W. Thompson, 
Daniel Von Schriltz, 
Charles Lewis, 
Wm. L. Halliday, 
Burrill P, Wilson, 
Wm. Conkle, 
Anthony Haley, 
Martin Roup, 
George M. Spiers, 



Benj. F. Savage, 
Amos Dyke, 
Beaty Miller, 
James Smith, 
Franklin Stansbury, 
Harry Spiers, 
Jesse Edmondson, 
Robert D. Andrews, 
Joseph Johnson, 
Hiram Carr, 
James Dennison, 
Martin Scott, 
Isaac Jones, 



85 

Hiram Rumfield, John Scott, 

Samuel Llewelyn, Francis M. Corn, 

Elisha Andrews. 
The 7th was mustered into the service No- 
vember 3d, 1862, and served till the close of 
the war, principally in Kentucky and Ten- 
nessee, making a good record on the march and 
on the battle-field. 

13 th 0. V. 0. 

Erastus R. Davis, Jr., Alexander Barrett, 

The 13th was in the James River Army and 
took part in the battles which resulted in the 
capture of Petersburg, Richmond and Lee's 
army. 

7th Ohio Battery. 

Patrick Lynch, James Heacock. 

MISCELLANEOUS. 

Harmon Ooburn, 33d 0. V, I. 
Alvin Kent, 56th O, V, I. 



86 
Co. H. 140th O. N. G. 

By the kindness of Mrs. Strong, I have 

obtained the muster roll of Co. H., which will 

account for the fact that their names are given 

in better shape than the soldiers of other 

regiments : ^ 

Captain, Waldo R. Strong, 

1st Lieut., Robert H. Brewster, 

2d Lieut., Francis Strong. 

SERGEANTS. CORPORALS. 

John C. Thomas, Jackson J. Hutherford, 

Joseph Wells, William Parsons, 

John Longstreth, Robert Cristy, 

Theophilus G. Thomp- George W. Thompson, 

son, Stephen S. Nelson, 

James Stewart. James N. Paul, 

George W. Strong, 
Almon Rathburn. 

PRIVATES. 

John W. Amos, William W. Gorby, 

Matthew Chamberlain, Cyrus Gorby, 



87 ! 



Joseph M. Cli amber- 
lain, 
George W. Corn, 
Allison C. Corn. 
Thompson Cottrill, 
Gilbert R. Chapman, 
Samuel H. Davis. 
Harrison Dyke, 
Waldo Fogg, 
William D. Gorby, 
Edmund Knapp, 
Hiel C. Mapes, 
Isaac McKinistry, 
Francis H. McKnight, 
Samuel Might, 
Stephen L. Might, 
Josiah Merritt, 
Rufus Merritt, 
William Montgomery, 
Joshua Morton, 
William Morton, 
George W. Morton, 



James C. Gorby, 
John I. Hawk, 
Philip Houk, 
Charles Hugg, 
Milo H. Jackson, 
Thomas L. Jackson, 
Edward Jackson, 
William P. Jones, 
James Piper, 
Benjamin Piper, 
William Scadden, 
Marcellus C. Smith, 
James M. Steele, 
Richard C. Stewart, 
James W. Taylor, 
Mahlon Taylor, 
William Vonschriltz, 
James M. Warren, 
Reuben Williams, 
Henry C. Williams, 
Francis J. Wyeth, 
Allen Edmondson, 



88 

Kichard Nelson, Joseph Vonschriltz, 

Hugh Ogden, Alvin Ogden, 

David Fainter, Jacob Peters, 

John Piper. 

The 140th were mustered into the service 
on the 10th of May, 1864, served at Charleston 
and other points on the Kanawha for four 
months. 

Two hundred and twenty-four men from 
Salem served in the army for the preservation 
of the Union and the freedom of the slave. 
Thirty-five fell in the battle or by disease; one 
hundred and eighty-nine returned. Well may 
Salem be proud of her war record. 

IN MEMORIAM. 

Captain Waldo R. Strong was born in Salem 
on the 27th of Jane, 1830. He was the son 
of Silas and grandson of Orasha Strong, and 
lived in Salem till his death. He was one of 
earth's nobility in appearance and character ; 



89 



six feet and an inch in height and straight as 
an arrow. A quiet, genial humor shone in his 
eyes and manifested itself in his voice, which 
in conversation was singularly musical. His 
business centered in Salem in his large stock 
farm, but he had an interest in the Middle- 
port Woolen Mill and Clifton Nail Works, and 
was a stockholder in, and director of the 
First National Bank, Pomeroy. 

He was captain of Go. H. 140th O. N. GL, and 
commanded them during their service on 
Kanawha. He died at Lebanon, Ohio, July 
17th, 1869, after an illness of eleven days. 

The news of his death thrilled the whole 
community. It seemed scarcely possible that 
he, who had been so full of life and vigor but 
a few days before, was really gone. But while 
the present generation survives, the memory 
of Waldo R. Strong will not cease to be 
honored by the soldiers that served under 
him, his fellow-citizens who admired and 
respected him, and the many friends who 
devotedly loved him. 






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